By Simon Wright – Follow
me on Twitter @Siwri88
Football has
become one of the most popular simulations available for video game
addicts. There have been a range of
different titles over the years, and in this series for Simon’s
Football Zone, I will be reviewing some of these games. They will range from excellent playable
games, to titles that were probably best being left on the shelf.
It is 20
years since the FIFA series started and I’ve been lucky enough to own all but
one title at some point during my life.
Next up on The Computer Chain is the final FIFA game of the 20th
century, but still considered one of the best in terms of gameplay. This is a review of the classic FIFA 99
title.
FIFA 99
Released: 10 June 1998
Systems: PlayStation, Microsoft Windows 98,
Nintendo 64
Cover Stars: Dennis Bergkamp
FIFA Road to
World Cup 98 had been a huge success, and now the EA franchise was keen to
follow this up with a very successful back-to-back title. After years of lacking consistency in this
department, FIFA 99 delivered on all expectations and broke a number of selling
records on its way, especially for PlayStation.
You know it is good when it knocks the popular Tomb Raider/Lara Croft
series off top spot in the charts.
FIFA 99 (cover with Dennis Bergkamp pictured) took
details to a further extreme in comparison to its predecessors. Player heights became more accurate and
animations improved to represent certain characteristics of individuals in
real-life. There was the added bonus of
night games into the main mode, something not made so available on previous
editions. Combine that with new ways to
tackle, slide trap and produce acrobatic skills and it is crystal clear that EA
had stepped up their game on the eve of a new century.
After the
international focus on 1998, FIFA 99 returns to the club game on a more
specific roster. 12 leagues were
playable for the gamer, with the introduction of the top division in Belgium
and Portugal and the removal of the basic and mundane Malaysian league. Over 250 club teams are included, alongside a
more cutdown version of 42 international sides.
Other new features include an improvement in kit designs and logos,
although this was still an area that hadn’t been officially licensed just yet.
The
successful indoor mode was unfortunately dropped, but replaced by more custom
league and cup options, plus an elite league called the ‘European Dream League.’ 20 top teams from Europe battle it out in a
league format, with the majority of sides in the division having played in the
1998-99 edition of either the UEFA Champions League or the UEFA Cup. It also meant club stadiums made a
breakthrough into this game, as we get to see the likes of the Westfalstadion in
Dortmund, Rangers’ Ibrox Stadium, the Stade Louis II in Monaco and the iconic
English grounds of Anfield and Highbury for the first time.
The musical
hits continue this year. A remix of Fatboy
Slim’s Rockafeller Skank is used as the theme for the intro credits, with more
licensed songs and sound commentary from regulars Lynam, Motson and Gray once
again, although Mark Lawrenson becomes a regular on FIFA 99 too. Lawrenson sometimes comes across as a dull
individual, but his voice is not bad on this game, a feature he wouldn’t carry
into FIFA’s rival Pro Evolution Soccer when he took over the role for this
nearly a decade later.
All in all there were so many positives with the FIFA 99 experience and it was a great way
to end the millennium. FIFA
2000 had a lot to live upto…but did it manage it? Find out next time on The Computer Chain.
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